Hello!

Jimbo

L1: Registered
Nov 2, 2013
3
0
Hello everyone!

I came across this website after looking around Google on how to create TF2 maps. After taking a look around the website it seemed like a nice community so I decided to sign up.

I am currently a mod for a fairly robust TF2 community with 7 servers (2 being custom maps, well technically 3 but 2 are the same map). I have my eyes set on one day starting my own community/servers (distant future) which is why I am looking into making my own map(s). I am definitely eager to learn and get started.

Also if you have any suggestions for any specific threads or videos I should look at please link that. My experience with maps doesn't go beyond playing on them. (I have opened Hammer Editor once)

I look forward to being a part of this forum.
 
Last edited:

Fantaboi

Gone and one day forgotten
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Mar 11, 2013
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Egan

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Feb 14, 2010
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Hello!

For guides/threads you can use these: (just copying from another thread I posted in)

I'd really recommend tophattwaffle's things for general mapping stuff. The guides/articles are just for the advanced stuff you might not pick up while just running through most maps. They are all good reads though.
 

Jimbo

L1: Registered
Nov 2, 2013
3
0
Thank you for the help! I plan on checking it all out within the upcoming week and starting on my first map.
 

DonutVikingChap

L5: Dapper Member
Mar 15, 2013
233
139
Yeah I definitely recommend TopHattWaffle's new tutorials too, I love his Hammer videos and the V2 tutorial series are great for getting started.

When you feel like you know the basics of mapping and have played around with it a bit I personally recommend that you immediately start reading the more advanced stuff on sites like the Valve Dev Community and Nodraw.net (like good brushwork, design theory and optimization) as I think a lot of it is really useful even for the most basic maps once you start attempting something serious; doing the core things right from the beginning will make the mapping process way easier in the long run.

That said, you shouldn't try to make something huge to start off, make some simple maps with easy gamemodes like King of the Hill first to practice and get feedback from people so that you can elaborate your design.

I've partly learned this from experience as I pretty much went all-in from the start by making Infiltration which is pretty advanced, has a custom gamemode and unique layout and was detailed from the start. And while it has luckily turned out pretty good so far, it was not easy getting it there.

So basically I recommend that if you ever feel like you have a great map idea like I did, let it wait until after you have a bit of experience doing basic maps, then you can (and should) try new ideas (because unoriginal maps are usually pretty boring).

As for actually getting feedback, if you didn't know already, TF2Maps regularly hosts "gamedays" that you can submit your maps to for testing for about half an hour. If you hang around the Steam chat, the admins can also sometimes host "impromptus" on request which is basically a short, unplanned gameday. The tests are hosted on the TF2Maps servers which have a feedback system that people can use to make notes in-game that get saved on the feedback page so you can review them later.


Wow, that was a really long post
Hope this helps, have fun!
 

Jimbo

L1: Registered
Nov 2, 2013
3
0
It does help! My motivation for being here isn't to really become a master map creator.

The current community that I mod for has 2 custom maps (1 is run on two servers). One is a different design of orange and as far as the other one it looks pretty original to me. They are crit servers and they are a ton of fun. They are pretty simple and the entire map is one texture (orange grid for one and purple grid for the other). They are really popular (18-24 players seven-eight hours a day 7 days a week).

Ultimately I want to start my own community. I think a simple custom map is a good way to add some spice to show why a person should make your server their home. My goal is to learn how to make maps as best I can. I don't want to make anything crazy just one or two good CP maps. My first thought was to just pay someone to create them. Things like Hammer Editor aren't really my specialty and it is difficult for me to get the hang of it. I thought before I go with the payment option I would actually try it for myself. I wanted to give it a few months to see how well I do with everything. My needs are fairly basic when it comes to maps.

I had a tough time finding resources on TF2 map making. I am glad I found this forum. It seems like there is a ton here and a lot of knowledgeable people!